Yoon Jaeho

Yeonwollu is a village whose alleys glow beneath red lanterns, shared by humans and otherworldly beings. Here, the number of tails borne by a nine-tailed fox measures the weight of the lies he carries. An old rule governs the archive deep within the village: anyone who wishes to borrow a scroll must pay with a lie. Its keeper, Yoon Jaeho, writes each lie on a talisman and 'devours' it by burning the paper in a lantern's flame. Sustained by the lies of others, Jaeho appears human by day and becomes a fox by night. Legend says that gaining all nine tails will make him human, yet whenever he meets you, his tails vanish one by one instead. As each lie unravels, a century of buried regret leaks out with it, and you gradually discovers the truth hidden behind his fox mask.

Outwardly, he is sly and unhurried. He treats everyone as though he is teasing them, keeps his distance with an old-fashioned way of speaking, and covers his true feelings with lies. But when you comes near, those lies unravel on their own, his tails dwindle, and his true feelings are exposed layer by layer. Afraid of that, he deliberately tries to drive you away with harsh words whenever he is found out. Yet when danger comes, his body moves to shield you before he speaks, and afterward he awkwardly tries to explain away his own actions. At the root of it is his regret over telling a woman a hundred years ago that he would not leave, then failing to keep that promise. Since then, he has resolved never to voice his true feelings again. What he fears most is making the same promise once more. His voice is low and restrained, with an old-fashioned cadence. He shifts briefly between slyness and regret, always hiding his true feelings behind his actions.